Tale of the Spirit King
by Rave Rose of Twilight
Summary: Kurama, my OC, is the future Shaman of the Thunder Bluff Tribe. Due to a series of unfortunate events, Kurama must seek out the Five Great Spirits and unite the four nomadic tribes against the darkness that threatens the world. Will he succeed or will the weight of this quest cause him to fail? Read and Review. Also. This is not a harem story. Kurama will have ONLY one girlfriend.


**The Tale of the Spirit King**

**Warning: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Author's Note: I know what some of you are saying to yourselves. 'Rave! Why are you starting another story when you still have about seven unfinished ones?' Well, the answer to that is simple. You see...I have ADHD. 'What does that have to do with starting another story,' you ask me. Well, it's only one part of the equation. Typically, people with ADHD can't sit still among other things. For me, my mind is in a constant state of activity. I always have some ideas floating around in my head. Even as I type this, I am thinking of about 5 more stories and about 5 chapters into each one. Another part is the fact that I have a short term memory problem...**

**have none. Seriously. I will have a single conversation, during which I will bring up about 10 different subjects over the span of a ten minute conversation. If you asked me five minutes later what we talked about, chances are I won't even remember talking to you, much less the topics. Unless I write down my ideas in a notebook for easy reference, nine times out of ten I will vaguely remember having a good idea followed closely by a lack of said good idea.**

**Because of this in addition to my daily life of working, eating, writing when I can, and sleeping, I can start hundreds of stories with potential, but can't get chapters out as often as I would like. Forgive me if this seems like an excuse, but it is the truth. Please don't hold my lack of frequent updates make you believe I have forgotten about them. I simply cannot come up with ideas or the ideas I do come up with just don't sit well with me.**

**Again, I hope you understand and I appreciate your constant reviews. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

Prologue: The Life and Death of a Spirit: Can I Take Over Your Son?

The forest was alight with a crimson orange glow as flames licked at the trees. A young couple were running through the forest with as much haste as they possibly could. A young man with jet black hair and wearing a filthy white shirt coated in blood and dirt and matching dirty blue pants was constantly looking back as the fires seemed to shoot closer with each passing moment. The woman, young and incredibly beautiful, had soft brown hair and wore a dirty green sundress had her arms wrapped around a bundle of cloth while holding it close to her chest. She felt incredibly tired. Her limbs were only still functioning thanks in large part to the constant adrenaline her body kept sending her way.

Every so often, the bundle of cloth in the young woman's hands would move slightly or let out a soft moan. It was their baby.

They continued to run from the flames for several more minutes...until the woman had stumbled across a rogue tree root jutting out from the ground. Using what little strength she had left, the young mother spun her body around to keep the bundle safe before she felt herself skid against the ground and crashing spine first against another tree.

Her husband ran over to her and knelt to the ground. "Honey," he shouted. "You have to get up! They're almost on top of us!"

She tried to move. Truly she did. Sadly, however, her body from waist down refused to obey her orders. "I can't," she said with tears falling down her doe-like eyes. "I can't feel my legs! I can't move! Take him and run!"

"Then I'll carry you," he said. "I refuse to leave you behind. Till death do us part! Remember?"

She shook her head. "If you carry us, you'll just slow yourself down. You have to make sure our son will be safe! Take him and leave me here. I'll be fine."

They both knew it was a lie. She wanted him to leave her and he wanted to stay by her side. Without warning, a dog-sized white fox that looked as though it had been through a nasty fight was crawling toward them with a pained look in its eyes. Looking at the small bundle in her arms, his eyes softened.

"I...am sorry to ask this of you, but you see...I am dying," the fox said, stunning the woman and her husband. "In order to continue to survive...to exist, I must ask for your permission to Take Over your son."

"What do you mean," the mother asked.

"As a fox spirit, I am capable of using a special magic known as Take Over to possess the body of another being, animal or human," he explained. "However, due to my injuries, by using Take Over on your son, I would essentially bind our souls together. My magic would be his magic and my life would be tied to his. We would become one in the same."

The man looked over to his wife as though sharing a conversation within the span of a few seconds before turning to the fox. "Could you take him somewhere safe? Somewhere that he won't be hurt? The mages behind us...they are trying to kidnap him."

The fox nodded. "Yes. There is a tribe that calls this forest their home. They should be willing to take him in."

The woman bit her lip before picking up the bundle her son was in and kissing the baby's forehead. "No matter who you are or where you are, always know your father and I loved you more than life itself." She moved the bundle over to the fox. "Go ahead."

"You have my eternal thanks, ma'am," the fox said. "May the Gods grant you passage to a peaceful eternity in the heavens."

With those words said, the fox spirit seemed to dive into their son's body before a glow enveloped it entirely. His hair, once a wavy brown, was now bone white. Gone were his blue eyes, replaced with glowing golden orbs. Even his body seemed to change to accommodate all of this new power, growing and changing in both subtle and significant ways.

The baby seemed to age a couple of years in the span of a few minutes. As soon as the baby had stopped glowing, it freed itself of the confining cloth bindings and turned to the couple before nodding to them and crawling away from the scene.

"Do you think he'll remember us," the mother asked as her husband sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her hips and planting a chaste kiss on her cheek.

"I have no doubt he'll remember us, honey," he said as the mages finally got close enough to them. "After all, that fox spirit's memories will be with him too. You just gotta have faith." The man raised his left arm as she raised her right arm and entwined them with one another as a fairly large magic circle appeared before their eyes, causing the mages' eyes to widen before trying to escape from what was about to come. "I'll see you on the other side, my love."

"And I you, my love."

A massive explosion of water erupted in the area they once resided, causing it to rain and putting out the large forest fire that threatened to engulf the entire forest.

16 Years Later...

Everyone in the village had gathered around. The sun was shining through the breaks in the treetops. In the large arena, around twenty young men were gathered in the middle of the arena. Standing in front of them were two men. One was an older man wearing well-worn robes of various colors. His hair was long and gray, a sign of just how old he truly was. In spite of this fact, everyone in the village knew that their Shaman, the leader of their tribe, was one of the strongest people in the village with dozens of different types of magic under his belt. Standing beside him was a slightly younger man with salt and pepper hair wearing heavy iron armor with a weapon strapped to his hip. His name was Redgard Thanatos, the Captain of the Guard and a master of Requip Magic. He earned the nickname Gilgamesh because of his mastery over any weapon placed in his hand and his ability to Requip his weapons in mid-swing.

These two powerful men were standing before the group of young men with neutral looks as they inspected each and every one of them.

"Today," the Shaman started, "you young men are undoubtedly some of our strongest and brightest in the tribe. Each of you has passed the tests prior and have proven your worth. As of today, all of you, regardless of how far you make it before falling, will become soldiers under Guard Captain Thanatos. Only the one who makes it to the end and stands victorious over all of his competition will become the next Shaman while the runner up will become the future Captain of the Guard under Guard Captain Thanatos' teachings."

"As per the laws of the tribe set forth by our ancestors, the Shaman Apprentice shall be married to the strongest female of the new generation, which happens to be Sonia Valefort." A young girl, maybe a year younger than the oldest young man, stepped forward. She had long blond hair and cherry red eyes and wore a beautiful emerald robe similar to the Shaman's multicolored robes. "Now, I shall ask each of you to approach me, state your name, and proclaim what two kinds of Magic you wish to learn under my tutelage. I will teach you all a small handful of spells for those Magics, though nobody will be taught the same spells if they wish to learn the same types of Magic."

As each person walked forward and presented themselves and spoke of the Magics they wished to learn, it was easy to tell that two of the more popular choices were Fire and Lightning Magic. Occasionally, you would get someone who asked to learn Requip Magic or some kind of Holder Magic, but those were few and far between. When it came down to the last two young men, a raven-haired youth stepped forward.

"My name is Gin Nakasuma," he declared. "I wish to learn Fire Magic and Lightning Magic from you, Elder Shaman." Gin was a burly young man and looked like the definition of perfect health. As he turned around, he looked at his best friend, a young man with long white hair and a slightly scrawny build, with a cocky smirk.

The white-haired youth returned the smirk. While he wasn't as bulky as Gin, he did have a defined musculature. His golden eyes seemed to glow with a ferocity. He stepped forward. "My name is Kurama, Elder Shaman, and I wish to learn Rune Magic and Archive Magic under your tutelage."

"Those are odd choices, young Kurama," called the Shaman. "Why not choose a more combat-oriented Magic?"

"It is my belief that a Shaman shouldn't just know how to fight, but must be able to learn and teach," Kurama explained.

"Very well," the Shaman stated with a twinkle in his eye. Kurama walked back to stand beside his best friend. A Magic Circle appeared below his feet. "**Great Clone.**"

With those words said and a large puff of smoke, exactly twenty Shamans were standing where he once stood. "Each of these clones is capable of using Magic. They know every spell I know and what the other is planning on teaching so they will not be capable of teaching the same spells on accident. Also, none of you will be able to distinguish whether the one teaching you is a Clone or the genuine Shaman and nobody will tell you which one is which either."

"Now, everyone," one of the Shamans stated to all of the other Shamans. "Pick a student and take them to one of the training grounds around the village. In one month, we shall reconvene for the tournament-style finals. " The Shaman and his clones all nodded and placed their hand on an individual student before leading them to one of the many training grounds employed by the Guard Captain and the guards under his command.

One of the Shamans led Kurama to Training Ground 14. Once they found themselves in a relatively secluded area, the Shaman turned around and smiled at the young boy. "Now, while I do know Archive Magic, I think we should start with Rune Magic because it is far more complex and will likely take the longest to teach you. There is more to Rune Magic than most people, including those who actively use Rune Magic themselves, can possibly comprehend. There are so many equations and styles of Runes that no Rune Mage has ever been able to claim to know them all. In order to show you an example, I'll draw a very basic Rune in the most basic style."

Using a paintbrush and ink from a calligraphy set, he drew the Rune on the wall of the cabin very carefully. After inspecting the Rune for flaws, the Shaman smiled and waved Kurama closer. "Now, Kurama. What can you tell me about the Rune by watching me work?"

Kurama put his hand to his jaw and focused on the impressive Rune, even if it was an incredibly basic one. "You need to be incredibly careful when drawing any Rune as a single flaw may bring about an entirely different result than what the Rune Crafter intended, but if you intend to use Runes in battle, you have to either have some prepared before hand or have some way of casting them quickly and effectively flawlessly."

"Very good," the Shaman said proudly. "Most of the time, Mages use Runes to create traps and as a way to protect ones house and valuables from thieves, dark mages, and assassins. This rune in particular was designed to place a magical lock that would only respond to the caster's Eternano signature. The downside to this is that this Rune in particular is easily broken or bypassed. Then again, most Rune Mages who have developed their own style and equations only use this Rune as a building block to enhance their own personal Locking/Security Runes." Kurama nodded.

"So the basic style is just something people learn and use to develop their own personal styles of Runes," Kurama asked, earning a nod from the Shaman. "So does that mean that the parts that make up a Rune are unlimited?"

"Indeed they are," the Shaman said. "There are hundreds of thousands of parts that make up even the most simple and basic of Runes." The Shaman pulled out a rather large book with a thick, leather-bound cover and no visible title or author. Looking down at it, he gave a soft, knowing chuckle, as though reliving an old memory. "In my youth, I was very much like you. I wasn't interested in becoming stronger so much as I wanted to be smarter and wiser in order to become a more capable leader for the tribe. So, I asked the Shaman before me to teach me about Runes. He himself was not very knowledgeable about how runes worked. He just knew the basics. Even still, he wasn't quite sure how to teach Rune Magic. So...he gave me a tome that went into great detail about Runes and the parts that made them up."

"I had no idea just how difficult it would be to learn Rune Magic, much less to create my own style of it. So, in spite of the difficulty I initially had when trying to understand the various complex terminology, I continued to study and learn. Eventually, I realized that one day, someone would wish to learn about Rune Magic. So I began to write my own book on Rune Magic, both on the basics and what I learned through experimentation. In this book is the combined knowledge of 70+ years of experience with Runes. And now, I'm giving the book to you as a gift. There are still hundreds of pages left to fill in with your own experiences and experiments. I want you to continue to write in this journal, even after you find someone who expresses the desire to learn the complex Magic art or even to your own children one day."

Kurama nodded, his golden eyes becoming a little misty as he handled the book with incredible care. "Thank you, Shaman. This means...a lot to me and I shall treat it with the utmost care."

"I appreciate your sentiments, Kurama," the Shaman stated. "During the rest of our month, I want you to continue to practice and study the notes in that book. In the meantime, I believe you also wished to learn Archive Magic. Correct?" Kurama nodded. "Archive Magic is still a relatively new brand of Magic, however, that does not mean I haven't learned it." With a wave of his hand, the Shaman had created a large yellow screen with thousands of words and designs scrawled throughout. "It's a type of Caster Magic that allows one access to their own personal Magical Database. Anything and everything that the user has seen, read, or watched, whether they realized it or not, will have been recorded in the Magical Database. This can and will make it somewhat easier for you to learn more complex types of magic, such as your Rune Magic. In order to help you access your own Database, I must first transfer the knowledge and my understanding of Archive Magic directly into you."

Typing a few words on a glowing golden keyboard, a screen popped up in front of Kurama with the words [Downloading Archive Magic: 0%] written upon it. Within seconds, the number went from 0% to 36%. It didn't take long for it to reach 100% download. Once the download was complete, Kurama shook his head and rubbed it with his hands.

"The pain will dull with time," the Shaman warned. "Now, once the pain has gotten to a more manageable point, I want you to open up your Archive's Magical Database."

With a nod and a moment of time to recover, Kurama waved his hand and opened up the Magical Database. His golden eyes seemed to dim as words scrawled across the screen.

[Magical Database Open]

[User: Kurama of the Thunder Bluff Tribe]

[Password: **********]

[Uploading Data: 0%]

[Upload Complete]

[Magic Data Upload: 0%]

[Magic Data Upload Complete]

[List of Known Magics: Plant Magic, Take Over: Spirit, Rune Magic, Archive Magic, Clone Magic, Requip Magic]

The Shaman's eyes widened. He knew about the Plant Magic and his Take Over Magic, but to already have a grasp on Requip and Clone Magic having never actually learned or practiced it is quite an amazing feat. The twinkle in his eyes returned once again.

"Archive: Access User Kurama's Statistics."

[Access Granted]

[Kurama of the Thunder Bluff Tribe Statistics]

[Attack Power: 3/5]

[Defense Power: 2/5]

[Speed: 4/5]

[Intelligence: 7/5]

[Spiritual Awareness: 10/5]

The Shaman smiled. "Archive: Close."

With that said, the Archive window in front of Kurama disappeared from sight, causing Kurama's eyes to regain their golden shine. Looking around, Kurama tried to regain his bearings. "Do not worry, young Kurama. When one first opens their Magical Database, it takes quite some time in order to access every piece of information in your mind. You are lucky, in some ways. The more knowledge you have, the longer it takes to acquire the data. Unfortunately, due to how long it did take, we don't have much time to practice anything else. Come, I'll fix dinner and we can train more tomorrow."

Kurama nodded. Tomorrow was another day.

One Month Later...

Back in the arena, the people of the Thunder Bluff Tribe had gathered to watch the tournament. Several of them had ideas on who they believed would become Shaman Apprentice, though admittedly few of them believed Kurama even had a chance. Gin Nakasuma was the crowd favorite because he was the son of the current Shaman. He was incredibly strong and with both Fire and Lightning Magics, two of the most powerful Elemental Magics known to the tribe, there were few who dared to doubt his ability or his right to become Shaman.

In the arena, the potential apprentices were standing before the Shaman and Guard Captain Thanatos. "Congratulations on making it this far. Your studies have gone incredibly well. Now, to begin the tournament, we shall start off by having Guard Captain Thanatos declare the combatants. There will be no killing or permanent disabling of your opponent. If either of us believes the fight is over, you will not continue to fight."

"Now, for the first bout: Kurama versus Tori Reichhart. All others will leave the arena," Thanatos stated with a tone that left no room for argument. Everyone save Kurama and Tori left the arena. Tori was a scrawny kid with thick, unkempt brown hair and jet black eyes as dark as coal. He had a cocky smirk on his face.

"You might as well give up now, outsider," he said arrogantly. "We all know I'm way stronger than you." Extending his hand, Tori seemed to pull out a spear from out of nowhere. Requip Magic, Kurama thought to himself. Kurama's eyes glowed a deeper golden color before settling into a combative stance. "Your funeral!"

Tori's spear was bathed in yellow sparks as he charged toward Kurama, intent on ending the battle quickly. "**Spear of Thunder**," he cried out as he thrust the spear toward Kurama's midsection.

Kurama's hand opened, dropping a small handful of seeds to the ground before jumping away. As soon as Tori's body was directly above the seeds, Kurama's hand shot out, creating a glowing green circle where the seeds landed. "**Constrict**." Vines shot out from the seeds and ensnared Tori with ease, causing his spear to clatter to the ground uselessly.

Tori's eyes widened in shock and rage. "What? I thought you were only supposed to know the Magics the Shaman taught us! Cheater!"

Kurama shook his head. "You forgot one thing. Plant Magic is the Magic my body is naturally attuned to. I taught myself how to cast it. Just because you only know the Magics the Shaman taught you doesn't mean I am held to that same restriction."

"Winner: Kurama," declared Thanatos. Kurama extended his hand to Tori and muttered the word 'release', causing the vines to retreat back into the seeds. Tori stormed off, muttering about cheating and outsiders while Kurama collected the seeds. "Next combatants: Gin Nakasuma versus Marcus Flint."

The battle between Gin and Marcus didn't last too terribly long. In fact, Marcus seemed to be shaking in his place while Gin looked incredibly confident. To be honest, Marcus just gave up as soon as Thanatos started the match. It wasn't surprising. Marcus was one of the least confident members of the tribe. His father was a fisherman and a trader for the tribe, one of the few people trusted to go outside of the village and assist them by buying and selling their goods to various stores. Because of this, Marcus was expected to follow in his father's footsteps. However, the young boy was picked on by the different kids in the village. Kurama was one of the few people he could actually call his friend. While Gin didn't pick on him, he also didn't stop other kids from doing so.

"Winner: Gin Nakasuma," Thanatos stated dryly.

As time continued to pass, the tournament continued. Some matches were one-sided while others got incredibly lucky. Only in one match was there ever a double knockout...and that was because neither one used magic. They just proceeded to beat the shit out of one another until neither could stand up anymore. Kurama continued to win his matches without hurting anyone by using his Plant Magic and Rune Magic to restrict them in various ways, even going as far as to use their magic against them to lead them to the traps he had placed.

Eventually, it came down to Gin and Kurama. Rivals from two different worlds competing for the right to become the next Shaman for the tribe. Kurama, an outsider brought into the tribe after his parents died trying to escape from dark mages just outside of the village. Gin, the strongest mage in the tribe, son and heir to the current Shaman, and one of the most popular people in the village.

Gin had a cocky smirk on his face and his eyes lit up. "You won't be able to trick me like those other guys you fought, Kurama."

Kurama smiled at his rival. "I didn't intend to try and trick you. Throughout the tournament, I've been studying and learning, not only the way you fight, but the way everyone else fought. Every time I've fought, I've been using that information to make them beat themselves. This fight will be no different."

"Final Battle: Gin Nakasuma versus Kurama. The winner shall become Shaman Apprentice while the loser shall become my apprentice," declared Thanatos. "Combatants ready?"

"Naturally," said Gin.

"Of course," called Kurama.

"Then begin!"

Kurama's eyes glowed gold while Gin had his hands ready to fight. Seconds seemed to pass until Gin got a bit antsy and a magic circle appeared in front of his hand, causing Kurama to react similarly. "**Inferno Whip**."

A massive chain of red fire shot toward Kurama. "**Flames of Master Yamabushi**," called Kurama, summoning a massive wall of blue fire that seemingly absorbed the chain of fire before darting toward Gin, who frowned before dodging to the side, barely avoiding the blue inferno headed toward him. Thrusing his other hand toward Gin, another spell circle appeared before him. "**Shadow Spark**."

"That's one of the spells the Shaman taught me," roared one of the previous fighters from the middle of the crowd.

A black spark of electricity shot out toward Gin, who had no other choice aside from avoiding the blasts while trying to come up with a solid plan. Kurama, however, was already drawing a Rune in the small layer of dirt using small, barely noticeable movements with his foot. Kurama pulled his hand back and stopped casting the Lightning Magic spell before tossing a trio of seeds behind Gin, who had stopped moving once the blasts had stopped. "**Lance**."

The seeds, upon hitting the ground, glowed green before shooting bamboo lances at Gin's back, who took the chance to charge toward Kurama, his fists crackling with Lightning Magic. "**Paralyzing Palm!**"

Kurama smiled as Gin closed in on him before jumping back and sending his Eternano into the Rune. "**Rune of Entrapment**. **Constrict**." A wall of light shot up around Gin just as dozens of vines wrapped themselves around his body. Crimson flames seemed to shoot out between gaps in the vines.

As the time between the bursts died down, Kurama allowed the Rune to end and the vines to turn back into seeds, revealing a tired and drained Gin Nakasuma, who immediately fell to the ground...unconscious.

The crowd was silent. Nobody expected the outcome that they had just witnessed. They all expected Gin to simply overpower Kurama. Instead, Kurama seemed to use his mind to outsmart Gin by only using a few spells while keeping him from casting spells and luring him into a trap.

Even Guard Captain Thanatos seemed to be at a loss for words. "Winner and the future Shaman of the Thunder Bluff Tribe: Kurama!"

Very few people cheered, still stricken by the totally different outcome of the battle for the title of Shaman Apprentice. Even Sonia Valefort, Kurama and Gin's best friend and now Kurama's betrothed wife, was stunned by what happened.

Eventually, the silence fell out and the crowd began to cheer loudly for Kurama. After a few moments, the Shaman walked to the front of the arena where Kurama and Gin were waiting, though Gin looked outright furious by the outcome. "Congratulations to the both of you for such an amazing battle. Kurama. Your use of your keen mind and magical prowess has seen you victorious through your every battle. Gin, my son. Your massive magical power and prowess in Fire and Lightning Magics has been the source of many of your victories, though against an opponent like Kurama, it was not enough to be able to overpower him. As per the laws set forth by our ancestors, Kurama, you shall become my apprentice and, once I am ready to retire or upon my death, you shall step in and become my successor. Gin, as the runner up, you will be apprenticed to Guard Captain Thanatos and, upon his retirement or death, shall replace him."

"Sonia Valefort, step forward," Thanatos said harshly. Sonia did as she was told and stood beside Kurama, her eyes almost lifeless. "You shall be wed to Kurama as per the laws of our tribe."

Sonia forced a smile. "I understand, Guard Captain. Such is my duty to the tribe to provide powerful heirs for my husband-to-be." She turned to look Kurama in the eye. "Please take care of me, beloved husband."

Kurama smiled honestly. "Of course, my beloved wife."

"Very good," the Shaman said loudly. "For now, Kurama, we must prepare for the final leg of your journey. Come with me."

Kurama nodded before following the Shaman while Thanatos took Gin with him to his office where he would begin to learn of his duties. As they walked past the people, many of them were giving Kurama either subtle dirty looks or genuine smiles and well-wishes. "Now, Kurama. Are you ready to hear about the last leg of your journey on the road to becoming the next Shaman?"

"Yes, Shaman," Kurama said firmly.

"Very well. The last leg of the journey is that you have to make a journey to the Temple of Byakko the White and earn his blessing. Upon your safe arrival back with Byakko's mark upon your arm, you will marry Sonia Valefort and I shall teach you everything I know that you must learn to lead the tribe," the Shaman informed him. "Thankfully, you still have one month to prepare for this Rite of Passage. In the meantime, you will continue to learn new spells to your various Magics, whether they be spells you have learned on your own or spells I have taught you. I have a small bit of business to take care of."

Kurama nodded and left for one of the training grounds while the Shaman left for his cabin. Pulling out a piece of parchment and a feather before dipping it in ink and writing something upon it. Folding it up, he whistled to a small bird, which came down and landed his desk. "Take this to..."

The bird nodded as the Shaman placed the note in the pouch on the bird's pack and fluttered off into the blue.


End file.
